The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-12-24
OWLS AND THEIR WAYS.
A Hunter Discourses of a Curious
Kind of Game.

II was hunting pa'lrln-c among uhc
Pennsylvania mountains" said we'll
known sportsman. "and was passing
cautiously along an old road leading
through deserted and grown-up clear
ing. when suddenly the report of a gun,
uupicasantly near, came from The brush
on one side of the road. A great rush
of iluttering wings followed the report,
and the next instant horned owl, OF
hoot owl, fell dead almost at my feet.
A moment later u tall. gaunt. rough
clad. but tintclligent-looking man made
his way through the brush and stepped
out into the road. After recovering
from the surprise nj seeing me there so
Unexpectedly and apologizing for shoot
ing in such dangerous proximity to me,
hc picked up the owl, examined it crit
ically and said:
&" IAN unusually fine specimen. and
one for which some collector will have
20 pay well before he gets it.
ANY one who has trampcd much
through the woods knows how seldom
it is that he sees an owl of any dcscrip-
ton. and how equally rare it is to get
!; shot at hawk. although many may
be seen. Imagine my surprise, there
fore. when the backwoodsnntn informed
me that he never went out cunning
without bagging three or four owls and
as many hawks. Nl
But, then, there is reason for it,
said the stranger. Il hunt nothing but
owls and hawks, aud. besides the profit
there is in it, strange rs it may seem to
You as hunter of more approved
game. there is no sport more exciting.
There has been for many years great
demand for hawks and owls, regular
craze seeming to exist, until within a
wear or two past, for collecting spec-
mems of these birds for mounting, and
the consequences has been that wise
hunters took up the business of supply
ing this demand. and am one of them.
There are two good reasons why
the everyday hunter seldom if ever
sees an owl in his ,ramps Ono reason
is that some owls can not see by day,
and therefore select hiding places
which. render their discovery next to
impossible us Il person passes casually
through the woods. The other reason
is that there are some owls that see by
day As well as by night. These double
sighted birds discover the intruder on
their haunts long before he can possibly
see them, and they lose no time in seek
ing places of greater safety 1t may be
news to you that there are owls whose
eyesight does not depend on darkness
to be of use, butit is fact nevertheless.
/ believe that the screech owl. the long
cared owl and one or two other species
that do not just now recall. are the
only members of the family that are
blinded or partially blinded by the
light of day. The others, among them
the hoot owl, the snowy owl, the hawk
owl, and the siort-carcd owl, are Ill
sharp-si@hted, both by day and by
night. When you know how to hunt
owls it is no troulSe to find them. fol
they are to be found almost everywhere.
The short-eared owl is u great field
mouse hunter in wheat or rye stubble.
He is among the first of the family OF
winter owls that come down from the
north to forage in this latitude. OF all
the owls he gives the most sport to the
hunter. There is piece of wheat stub.
bic beyond this old clearing. am al
most certain to flush flock or two ol
these birds there, for they always hunt
in flocks, and don't think that stubble
ha, been disturbed by any hunter vel
this fall. Ii you would like to enjoy q
new sensation in hunting. walk along
with me and help me beat the stubblc.
Il was only too glad to be initiated
in this entirely now branch of cunning
and l went with the tslkative woods
man. The field was but II short dis
tance away The owl hunter stationed
me Oh one side of the field
'.Keep your dog by you. said he
for We don't want any dog to help III
in owl-hunting. Keep II sharp eye out
for you will be startled aud surprised
when yon see how Il short-eared ow
tluShcs. AtE
Tho hunter, with his gun. ready
walked cautiously about in The stubble
Presently three large birds arose from
the ground Il good gun-sh"t distanc'
from hip... As white as ghosts and n
swifr as shadows. they glidcd away,
few feet above tho sl,lbblc. The owl
hunter fired, and one of the birds fell.
was much nearer to them than he was
but did not get shot, so quickly had th
strange birds appeared from out TIN
siubble and so quickly fasl,ed from ou
my sight, This was indeed anew sen
saiion in hunting, and IN exciting one
too.
'..That Is my first short-ear Of tn
season. said the hunter, picking up hi
..,,aple. 1T is y little early for them
Later on 1t will be no uncommon thinl
To find them In Aocks Of ten or u dozen
II you had flushed three phcasants a
those three owls were flushed, the nois
Ut their wings could have been hear
Tor half mile, rs you we'll know, Yo'
might scare mp three hnndred Ut thss
owls at once, and they would max
scarcely any more noise than SO man,